Throughout his ten year career, the filmmaker and artist Narvir Singh (Punjabi, b. 1989 London, UK) has collaborated with key figures from a range of creative disciplines, experimenting with the relationship between poetry, visual art, music and theatre.

Manhood

Each verse depicts a different age and what patriarchal society wanted from me.

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LYRICS:

VERSE ONE

The first lesson started in the home
Told to be staying alone as a lone
wolf, and loose all natural instincts
to love and be loved, don’t ever think
hugs till 13 but then you be mean
as you grow up and take life as a young teen
seated upright jamming with close family
display manhood, how else can it be?
anything other than be alone and strong
anything else is just straight dead wrong
if they hit you,
make sure you hit ’em in the jaw
black and blue, hit ’em back straight to the floor
ripped skin on back from many attacks
Mandela flex – cause he had facts on facts
I react alive, I need war to surprise,
learnt early, I need more to survive

VERSE TWO

told by the guardians to lose myself
don’t be a sissy, don’t need to ask for help
whilst in the classroom, boom boom
is heart beat, as I meet my doom doom
how can I eat the laughs they be giving
I’m living without vulnerability
blocks my ability
of mind’s agility
blind to my own destruction
questioning punctuation’s function
living in a shell, mind is a living hell
waiting all day for the school bell
to signal
so I can just leave
unless a teacher,
has detention greed
curves up spine…
out of line.. tick tick on my clock
sounds like, click click my lock
get the letters right and I’ll be free
war is exactly, what was taught to me…

VERSE THREE

they wan’na use lessons of my young age
get me to shave and let all my rage
to be aimed at a ‘bad guys’ brain,
government passes blame
what a shame, fire flame
without giving a decent reason
they charge me with treason
unless I be feast in’ on a middle-eastern
sending army recruiters to uproots us
full metal jacket style – you wan’na loot us
by ignoring the sanctioned law
shoot guns for fun, fight in a war
violence is harming me – not clever to do
way more than any army, could ever do
and if you got a gun, just please run
study what patriarchy has done
it won’t be fun
but no need to fight now
peaceful reflection is the only sight found.